Stories from Peace Time
by bloodredstars
Summary: A series of short stories involving various Bleach characters in their down time. Story summary and character list within each chapter.
1. Of Illusion and Inversion

**Characters: **Momo Hinamori, Shinji Hirako, Aizen Sōsuke

**Summary: **Hinamori reflects on her time under Aizen and her new captain.

* * *

**Of Illusion and Inversion**

"_Hinamori-kun, are all the documents there?"_

_She fumbled through the numerous scrolls she was cradling in her arms and counted them according to the ones they needed._

"_Yes! They're all here." She replied back to her captain._

_Her captain smiled in satisfaction, which in turn gave her satisfaction. It was always a good thing whenever she could be useful to him especially now. However, his satisfied smile gave way to a look of worry. "Are you okay, HInamori-kun? Perhaps, I should carry those instead."_

"_No, it's okay!" she replied hastily. "I can carry this-AH!"_

_As if to undercut her statement, she tripped over a pebble in that moment sending the scrolls flying out of her hand. She let out an exclamation of surprise and closed her eyes as she prepared for her impact to the floor._

_Instead, she felt a hand catch her by her arms followed by strong clothed arms almost envelop her. She opened her eyes to see the white cloth of her captain's robes holding her up from the ground. Her eyes followed the white cloth all the way up to his face, whose worried eyes was visible behind his spectacles._

"_Are you okay, Hinamori-kun?"_

_She immediately realized how close he was to her and reflexively pushed away and stood up. "I-I'm sorry, Captain Aizen!" She straightened up her uniform and looked down in embarrassment as she felt her face heat up. As she looked down, she saw the scrolls that were now in disarray on the floor. _

"_Ah, the scrolls!" she proclaimed in a panic. Hinamori berated herself for clumsily falling. She dared not look at her captain in case he was disappointed. "I'm sorry, Captain Aizen! I'll pick them up." She crept to the floor and picked up the few closest to her and was about to pick up another when her captain beat her to it and picked it up himself. Hinamori looked up to see that he already had the rest of the scrolls on his arms._

"_Ah, Captain Aizen! I can carry those. You don't have to worry-"_

"_Enough, Hinamori-kun." he spoke._

_She felt her heart shrivel up the moment she heard those words. Captain Aizen was someone who rarely got angry and to his credit he wasn't exactly angry now, but his voice was sterner than she had ever heard it before. She looked up to see his face full of exasperation and quickly faced down again. _

_It was all because of that incident a few days ago. She kept repeating it in her head and wishing she had done something different; if only she had not been walking by when some of her fellow division members had been talking about her, if only she hadn't heard her name being mentioned, and if only she had decided to walk away nonetheless._

_But she hadn't; she had stayed and eavesdropped on them and now their words were all she could hear._

"_Man, Vice-Captain Hinamori's such a suck-up."_

"_I know, right? She's always putting herself in Captain Aizen's face. It's like her life revolves around him."_

"_Hahaha she's like a dog following her master around."_

"_Puppy's more like it. The captain's probably fed up with her by now."_

"_Hell, I'm a guy and I think she's attractive but even I would be sick of her with the way she's acting."_

"_Maybe she's doing other favors for him, if you know what I mean."_

"_Pfft, yeah right. Captain Aizen's too uptight for that. He's probably just tolerating her presence."_

"_Yeah, Aizen's a good captain but that Hinamori, my god."_

_They had went on and on after that point, not knowing that she was listening to them. When they had moved on, she had returned to her quarters and cried herself to sleep. Since then, the thought that she was merely being tolerated has been in her mind and weighing her down. She had started to question herself and her worth as a shinigami and now, she couldn't even help her captain carry some scrolls. She looked down on the floor and felt her tears starting to pool when she felt a hand pat her on the head. _

"_I wouldn't be a proper captain if I allowed my subordinates to do all my work for me."_

_She looked up at her captain, who was now smiling at her. Immediately, she felt all her worries dissipate as the smile seemed to pierce through the darkness she had felt. It seemed to entrance her that she followed along as his hand lifted her by the arm back to standing._

"_HInamori-kun." he spoke again in a gentle voice. "Please do not overburden yourself for my sake. I know I'm your captain, but that doesn't mean you are my servant. If you are worried over anything, please don't hesitate to tell me."_

_Momo looked at her captain in awe as his kindness seemed to radiate from his being. "Okay." she replied softly to him._

_Her captain seemed to be satisfied with her reply. "I'll carry these ones while you carry the rest, is that fine?"_

"_Yes." She replied enthusiastically._

_With the matter settled, her captain turned back from her and walked again. As she followed behind him, she looked at his figure from the back; the way he walked with authority yet gentleness, the way his haori trailed after him, and the kanji '5' written on the back signifying his authority as the 5__th__ Division's Captain. _

_It was an image she had seen many times, but it never failed to amaze her nonetheless. It reminded her of how perfect he was. Captain Aizen was powerful and capable, yet reserved and humble; all the things that made him the model of a perfect Shinigami. She had always strived to follow his example, although she rarely succeeded but that was okay, because he was her captain._

'_That's right.' Hinamori reaffirmed in her mind as she looked forward towards her captain again. It didn't matter what anyone else thought; she knew who Captain Aizen was and trusted in his strength. He was her Captain, her role model, her source of strength._

_He was perfect…_

_..._

_.._

_._

Momo Hinamori slowly opened her eyes to the wooden ceiling of her quarters. It took a few seconds before she registered what had happened. Slowly, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and got her feet out of her blanket.

'_A dream.' _More accurately, it was a memory; one of her time under Aizen's command.

She sighed in resignation. It was now almost a year and a half since Aizen's defeat yet time and time again the memories would resurface; memories that were once of comfort to her but now a source of sorrow. She supposed it was inevitable, considering how many years she had spent under Aizen's command, years she had spent chasing after his perfection only to find out the truth when it came in the form a blade piercing her chest.

Her hand reflexively went to her chest at the memory. She looked down her robe between her breasts and touched the spot where two scars remained; one from Aizen's sword, the other one, a little bit higher, was from Tōshirō's when he stabbed her under the influence of Aizen. The 4th Division healers and 12th Division doctors had done their best to heal those injuries but the scars remained as a constant reminder of her foolishness. She thought of the memory again and how happy she had been when he had showed concern for her. These scars, both courtesy of him, reminded her of the truth.

His perfection had been a lie. The kind Captain Aizen who listened to her worries, cared for her, and made her feel safe was a facade. The real Sōsuke Aizen was a cold-hearted monster who never cared for anyone but himself.

She sighed again and immediately covered the scars with her robe and got herself up. There was no time to feel bad about herself; she had already done that in the weeks following Aizen's betrayal and defeat. Those had been the toughest time of her life and she had no intention of returning to them. Right now, she needed to get ready for her duties.

Hinamori got up from her futon and set off with her morning routine. First, she went to her bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. With that done, she opened her closet where her white undergarment and black kimono was neatly folded waiting for her. The standard issue shinigami uniform made up most of her clothes, with a few differences being her sleeping robes, a festive kimono and a few clothes from the Human World that Rangiku had bought for her (though she didn't think there was an occasion in Soul Society where wearing them would be appropriate). She disrobed herself and put on the white robe carefully before the black kimono, making sure to not crease them as she did. Afterwards, she folded her sleeping robes and put them back.

With her uniform done, she put on her Vice-Captain's badge. Afterwards, she checked herself on the mirror to see if she had missed anything. Seeing nothing wrong with her uniform, she combed her hair to straighten it up, a relatively simple task now that she had cut her hair short. She was just putting on her hair clip when a knock sounded on her door.

"Please come in!" she shouted.

The door immediately slid open and a shinigami sat by the door and bowed. Hinamori quickly recognized her as the current 4th seat officer Ritsuko Yamanami.

"Good morning, Vice-Captain Hinamori."

"Good morning, Yamanami-san." she greeted back as she attached her Zanpakutō to her belt. "Do you need something?"

"Well, I wanted to see if you were awake yet." The officer raised her head but then turned to the side.

Hinamori noticed the sudden change in her demeanor and immediately became worried. "Is something wrong?"

Yamanami turned to her again. "Well, it's the Captain…"

.

.

.

Hinamori stomped all the way to the 5th Division Captain's quarters, shaking the wooden floor with each step and earning her the attention of nearby shinigamis. However, she was currently too angry to care about that. Instead, she focused on her goal as she finally reached the Captain's quarters. With her head still fuming, she loudly slid open the door.

To say the captain's room was a mess was an understatement; it looked like a typhoon had hit. Random objects were scattered on the floor, a combination of items from Soul Society and the Human World. The captain's attire, both the shinigami robes and the haori, had been lazily cast aside on the floor alongside a sheathed Zanpakutō. In the epicenter of the disaster was the subject of her anger and her commanding officer, snoring loudly while sprawled out on his messy futon with one foot sticking out from under a tangle of covers.

Captain Hirako!" she called out angrily.

Hirako stirred a bit and then went back to sleep, unaffected by her entrance.

"Captain Hirako!" she repeated again with more force.

This time it was enough to pierce his consciousness. Hirako choked up on his snore and his eyes slowly opened up. With a tired moan, he put his hand over his head and looked to where she stood with her arms crossed looking at him angrily.

"What the hell, Momo?! Don't yell so early in the mornin'!"

His words further fueled her rage. "Captain Hirako, it's already late into the morning! You have a full day's duties ahead of you today!"

"Mmmmhh." Hirako muttered lazily and made a waving gesture with his hand. "Can ya gimme some more time? I told Yamanami already I'll be up soon."

"That's not what she told me." Hinamori disputed angrily. "She told me you got angry when she tried to wake you and then you scared her away with your Hollow mask!"

Hirako looked away from her and scratched his chin. "Yeah, I guess goin' Hollow on her was a bit much. I'll apologize to her. Look, just gimme some more time. I was out late drinkin' with Shunsui last night so I'm still a little hung over."

"That is not an excuse, Captain. You should've drunk responsibly and remembered your duties."

Hirako sighed tiredly. "I know I know. Gimme a few more minutes."

"Captain Hirako-" Hinamori began.

"Captain's orders." he cut her off before going back to slumber.

Hinamori sighed. It was always something or the other with her captain. Captain Hirako wasn't necessarily a troublemaker or even a lazy captain, but his erratic behavior meant that he could be troublesome at times, as was the case right now. Those in her Division who had served under him before he was exiled from Gotei 13 had warned her that he was eccentric, but even they claimed that he wasn't as bad as he was now. Hinamori often wondered if his time away from Soul Society had an effect on his current behavior.

However, that was now of no consequence. He was currently a captain of the Gotei 13 and she would have him behave as befitting of a captain.

Even if it meant doing that against his will.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed back her sleeves and outstretched her right hand towards him with a finger pointed at his face. As she had on the days of her training, she gathered her reiryoku on the tip of her finger while making sure to keep her aim steady.

"Hadō #1. Shō!"

The energy she had gathered shot forth from her finger and reached it's intended target; Hirako's forehead. The Kidō spell exploded in a burst of kinetic energy, sending Hirako's head slightly backwards. He reacted immediately and yelled out in pain as he covered the spot where the spell had struck.

"Ow! What the hell?!"

Hinamori was unsympathetic to his pain. "I don't' have any other choice, Captain. You need to fulfill your duties."

Hirako rubbed his forehead where a bit of skin was now reddened from the impact. "Sheesh! That hurt! Look, just gimme a few more minutes and-"

He didn't get a chance to finish as Hinamori fired again from her finger, this time striking several targets from his foot, his leg, and his arms. He reacted to each attack, almost dancing in sync to the timing of each strike.

"ALRIGHT! I GET IT!" he yelled out, prompting Hinamori to stop her assault. He caught his breath as she stopped.

"Alright." he spoke while panting. That attack had been too much for his hungover body. "I'll go get ready and we'll do whatever it is we have to do today, ya happy?!"

"Okay!" Hinamori smiled, although she wished she didn't have to go to such drastic measures.

She was so caught up in her satisfaction that she didn't realize that Hirako was looking at her strangely until she caught his eyes.

"What is it, Captain Hirako?" she asked uncertainly.

"Ya gonna stand there the whole time while I'm changin'?"

She immediately became embarrassed and felt her face heat up. "Ah, I-I'm sorry. I'll be waiting outside, then." She exited the room and had slid the door back to an almost shut position when she peeked her head back in.

"Please don't sleep again." she pleaded.

"I won't." Hirako replied while waving her off. "I'm too awake now to be goin' back to sleep anyways."

Satisified with his answer, she smiled and shut the door, leaving Hirako in his room.

"Man, what a hassle…" he muttered under his breath.

.

.

.

Hirako emerged from his room around fifteen minutes later. Immediately, Hinamori inspected his appearance. He was fully dressed in his shinigami uniform and captain robes. His hair had no trace of it's messy bedhead but was neatly combed down, which was expected; one thing she had learned quickly after Hirako became captain was that he was very particular about his hair, although his sense of hairstyle remains a mystery to her. One thing that couldn't be completely erased was the hangover look on his face especially his dark sunken eyes, but she knew that wouldn't disappear immediately. It wasn't perfect but all things considered it wasn't that bad.

"That's better." she commented. "You look very proper now, Captain Hirako."

"Whatever." Shinji waved off the compliment. "What's so important that ya got me dressin' up this early anyways?"

Hinamori smiled and took out a clipboard where she had listed the various duties of the day. "Well, you haven't submitted your monthly report yet; the Captain-Commander wants it on his desk by this afternoon or you will get a penalty. There's also other paperwork you're falling behind on. After that, Captain Ōtoribashi wants to talk about having a joint training exercise with the 3rd Divi-"

"Geez, one thing at a time. I'll finish the report first; at least it'll get the old man off my back. C'mon, Momo."

Hinamori looked at him crossly. "Captain Hirako, please stop calling me Momo already when we're on duty."

"Hmmm." Hirako pondered. "So that means I can call ya Momo off-duty?"

The question took her by surprise and she felt her face heat up. "T-That's not what I mean-"

Hirako let out a chuckle. "I'm messin' with ya, Momo. C'mon, let's go to the office."

"Wait, Captain-"

She couldn't finish as Hirako had already walked off towards his office. Hinamori pouted and gave chase. Her captain always found a way to get on her nerves. Even so, she was thankful that at least she got him to do his duties and she was determined to keep it that way. She caught up with her captain and continued to list all his responsibilities for the day until they had finally reached the office. When they entered, Hirako immediately looked at his desk, which looked clean and tidy.

"I tidied it up yesterday." Hinamori spoke, answering the unsaid question.

"Oh, right. Nice work there, Momo." Hirako replied.

Hinamori wasn't pleased with the compliment. "I would be happier if you didn't mess it up in the first place."

Hirako shrugged his shoulders. "Can't be helped. I work better in chaos."

"Captain…" Hinamori protested.

"Let's get to work, shall we?" Hirako approached his desk and began rummaging through the cabinet behind it. "Now, where'd I put that-"

"Captain Hirako, please don't mess up the files again." Hinamori reprimanded. "I just got them organized."

"Oh right, sorry. Where's the updated squad members' list?"

Hinamori sighed. "It's on the bottom drawer. Please remember the filing system already, Captain Hirako."

"I'll get around to it." He reassured her emptily.

Hinamori wasn't convinced. It's nearing two years now since she served under Captain Hirako and he still hadn't learned the proper filing system. It was mind-boggling considering she had went over it the first time they had met-

The thought brought back another memory. _'That's right. It was right here in this room…_

...

_She didn't know what to make of him._

_Certainly, he didn't fit with what she thought a captain would look like. The human clothes were a part of it. She'd certainly never seen a shinigami where those peculiar clothes. Rangiku had said they were formal attire in the Human World but it certainly didn't give off that feeling right now. Perhaps it was also because he was holding his Zanpakutō by it's scabbard on his left hand instead of attaching it to his belt._

_But what gave her the feeling was the overall feeling of his character; from his weirdly cut hair to his open-mouthed scowl it was hard to tell what she should make of him. It just didn't fit her idea of what a captain should be._

_Then again, what did she know about that either?_

"_Yer' just gonna stand there gawkin' at me all day?" he asked in confusion._

_His voice brought her back to reality. "Oh, sorry I didn't mean to..." she trailed off, afraid of offending her new captain._

"_No no. I apologize. I get it; this whole thing's pretty awkward. Don't worry, I ain't gonna start acting like I'm in charge around here. Let's start with introductions." He removed his hat and bowed slightly to her. "My name's Hirako Shinji."_

_She bowed back nervously. "I-I'm Hinamori Momo, Vice-Captain of the 5__th__ Division." she stated before adding. "It's nice to meet you."_

"_Ya ain't gotta be so formal." Hirako replied as he put the hat back on. "I don't really mind. Besides, I ain't officially your captain yet. I just came here to have a look around." He looked at her silently for a moment as if something occurred to him. "So how are yer' injuries? They healed alright?"_

"_Oh, yes they're fine now. Thank you." Hinamori was surprised, but then she remembered hearing that he had been there during the final battle when she had been stabbed. All at once, the memory flooded in again and she clenched her chest tightly. Hirako approached her, perhaps worrying that she was about to collapse._

"_I-It's okay." she stressed, stopping Hirako on his tracks. "The wounds are healed now. It's just…" she trailed off. What she was feeling was difficult to explain in words._

_Hirako seemed to sense her hesitation and was unsure, but decided to back away. "Well, if you say so. That's good then."_

_He turned his attention to the interior of the office. His eyes surveyed the surroundings of the office from the entrance to the captain's desk. After giving a look around, he went inside the room and stood in it's center. Reflexively, she gave him a wide berth as he entered._

"_It hasn't changed much." _

_She observed as he continued to look around the office. Now that she looked clearly, there was a somber look in his gaze, like he himself was unsure of what to feel about this room. _

_She had been briefed of his background, of course; Hirako Shinji had been appointed the Captain of the 5__th__ Division 123 years ago, long before she even entered the academy. He and several other high-ranking shinigami had been sentenced to execution, but the former captains Shihoin Yoruichi, Urahara Kisuke, and Tsukabishi Tessai smuggled them to the Human World before the sentence could be carried. It was only recently revealed that he was a victim of Aizen's cruel experiments which ended up giving him the ability to become a Hollow. Due to this revelation and his role in the battle against Aizen, he had been offered his old position in the Gotei 13 back, which he accepted._

_She recalled that long history and thought about how it must feel for him returning to the same Soul Society that condemned him to death after all this time and what else he could be thinking. He was, after all, Aizen's captain. That was the part that had intrigued her the most. What did he feel about Aizen's betrayal? Did he feel as she did right now? Why did he even want to return? She tried to find a read of what he was feeling with all that in mind, but only came to the conclusion it was too much her to comprehend._

_The moment only lasted a few seconds but felt like it stretched forever. The two of them, victims of Aizen's treachery, stood there in silence as the tension between them hung. Eventually, Hirako broke his silence._

"_So, what were ya doin' when I entered?"_

"_Ah." Hinamori was caught by surprise at the sudden prompt to converse. "I was just tidying up and organizing the files. Everything has been pretty disorganized around here since there was no captain and I was recovering in the 12__th__ Division."_

"_I see." Hirako nodded and turned his attention to the cabinet behind the desk. "These the files ya were talkin' about?"_

"_Yes, the top drawer is for patrol reports. It stores the reports from squadrons of our Division. Expeditions to the Human World are in the blue file and patrols in the Rukongai area are in the brown file. Hollow encounters are marked red while criminal encounters are marked yellow. They're arranged chronologically by year. The middle drawer is the accounts for the Division. They're also arranged by year. The last drawer is for keeping track of squad personnel. It has the records of the current number of people in the 5__th__ Division, which is organized alphabetically. Files on new recruits are put on the red file and also organized alphabetically."_

_Hinamori finished her explanations and looked at Hirako, who in turn was looking at her with a blank expression. She realized then that she had rambled on and he hadn't understood a word she said. "Um, that's about it."_

"_I see. Well, it's good that it's organized." He turned back and inspected the files._

"_Yes." Hinamori nodded. "Captain Aizen-"_

_Hinamori instinctively covered her mouth and almost bit her lip as soon as she spoke Aizen's name with his title. She looked over at Hirako and saw that he had turned slightly to look at her. Taking a deep breat, she took her hand off her mouth and rephrased._

"_The former captain Sōsuke Aizen liked to keep things organized so he made that filing system to make things easier."_

"_I see." Hirako replied and turned back towards the cabinet._

_Hinamori cursed herself for saying his name like that again. It reminded her of how she had looked up to him, idolized him, admittedly even liked him, and it had all turned out to be a lie. Aizen had betrayed Soul Society and almost killed her twice. Despite that, she still instinctively calls him by his title because he had been a big part of her shinigami life, perhaps even a strong reason why she stayed in the Gotei 13. If he had been a lie, didn't that mean her shinigami life was built on a lie? Aizen had said he had singled her out for her devotion. Perhaps that was the only reason she got the rank of vice-captain. Perhaps she actually had no worth as a shinigami._

_Hinamori covered her face, aware of the tears that were threatening to fall. She held them back as best she could as she didn't want to break down in front of her new captain. These questions had plagued her ever since Aizen's defeat. Many times now she had considered retiring from the Gotei 13. It certainly didn't help her confidence that her last battle went terribly; she had gotten herself severely injured by the enemy twice. Since her recovery, she'd just been doing her duties as Vice-Captain out of habit more than anything but even the simple tasks were becoming increasingly difficult to do. Her naivety and fear of incapability followed her no matter what she did._

"_Hey, Momo." _

_Hinamori was startled at the sudden proclamation of her name. She looked to the person who had just said it. It came to her mind that he might be angry after she had mentioned Aizen and she became frightened. _

"_Y-Yes?"_

"_Can I count on you to keep these files organized?"_

_Hinamori was surprised at the inquiry but felt a little relief that he wasn't mad. "O-Of course. How do you want them organized?"_

"_Just do it the way you've been doin' it."_

"_Eh?" It was an answer that she had not expected. She thought he would insist on a new system as soon as she had mentioned Aizen was the one who came up with it. In fact, she thought he would be mad at the mention of Aizen, but seemed as calm as ever now as he turned to her and leaned on the cabinet._

"_Man, that Aizen may've been a murderin', treacherous psychopath." he spoke with clear vitriol before relaxing to a more conversational tone. "But he sure knew how to keep things organized. He was always prattlin' on about it back then to me, ya know, back when he was my vice-captain."_

_He chuckled as he looked up in reminiscence. "I kept him around cuz I was suspicious of him but he was actually a decent vice-captain. He did all his duties right and kept the squad runnin' when I couldn't. Sure it was for his own twisted needs but he did his job well and a lot of people looked up to him back then."_

"_I don't understand." Hinamori replied. She couldn't fathom why he of all people was praising Aizen._

_Hirako stop leaning from the cabinet and walked his way back to where Hinamori now stood, stopping a few steps away from her._

"_Tell me, do you think Aizen was a good captain?"_

_Hinamori looked at him dumbfounded. "W-What?"_

"_Yeah, you know. Puttin' aside the betrayal stuff, was he a good captain?"_

_The question struck her. It was something she hadn't anticipated. No one had certainly asked her anything like it after Aizen's betrayal. They had told her it wasn't her fault, that he had fooled everyone, not just her. As true as it was, it didn't make her feel any better. Even so, no one had asked her if Aizen was good. Even so, she sensed that her new captain had something in mind, so she considered the question given to her seriously. If it were her old deluded self, she would no doubt have answered yes, but now…_

"_Yes."_

_The answer slipped out of her mouth before she even thought about it. She covered her lips instinctively in shock of what she had said, but it was too late. She knew as soon as she said it that it was the truth; her answer hadn't changed. _

_And she hated herself for it._

_Hirako, however, didn't look fazed at all by her answer. "Why's that?" he inquired further._

_Hinamori thought back to the times she had spent with him; the days she trained alongside him, the day she was pulled to his division, the day she had been promoted to his vice-captain, among countless others._

"_Well, he was a good leader. He knew each of our weaknesses and would help us improve on them. He also often knew how people felt and would give them encouragement when they needed it. He was organized and kept his work in order. He always did his obligations even if they were tedious. He was punctual and never late to an appointment."_

_The tears began to flow from her eyes as the memories piled up. "He-he spent a lot of time bonding with his subordinates so we grew closer to him. It's why a lot of us were devastated when he left. He showed compassion, more than a captain needed to at times. He was sophisticated and smart. He knew a lot about Soul Society and shinigami arts- he-"_

_Hinamori cut off as the memories began to shatter against the cold, hard truth. The weight of it all was too much too handle and she knelt down. Her tears, now rapidly flowing, fell to the wooden floor as the burden in her heart built up._

"_He was the perfect captain!" she let out. All of the burden she had felt, all the happy memories, all of the sadness from the truth; all of it came out as she broke down on the floor of the captain's office. "But all of it was lie! I followed him for years but it was all a lie!" _

_She didn't know how long she spent wailing her heart out or when her pitiful cries finally became quiet sobs. Time seemed irrelevant; all she could feel was the bile that had collected in her heart finally spilling out. It felt disgusting; she was disgusting. Through her breakdown, she was slightly aware of Hirako's presence and felt more disgust at herself for groveling in sorrow in front of her new captain. _

_The sound of steps came to her ear and she saw Hirako's feet approaching and stopping a short distance away from her. Then his feet bent down until she realized he was now crouching at her level. Soon after, she felt a short tap on her head and looked up to see Hirako, who had tapped her on the head with his Zanpakutō's hilt._

"_Those things you told me weren't bad, were they?"_

"_No, they weren't." She put her face back down and wiped her tears and snot on her sleeve. "But they were all lies."_

"_That's true." Hirako replied. "But just because they're lies doesn't mean there's no good in them."_

_The words surprised Hinamori as soon as they left his mouth. Slowly, she looked up at Hirako again, who was smiling at her. This time it didn't look peculiar. Rather, there was a sense of comfort in it._

"_Don't take this the wrong way. I ain't saying that the good ol' Captain Aizen ya knew was actually real or that deep down he was good or somethin'. Ya shouldn't put hope in a lie." He stopped for a moment to search for the proper words to convey his message. "But much as I hate to admit it, Aizen did some good too in his time, both mine and yours. Even if they were lies, those good things don't have to be all false. Ya believed in him for good reasons, didn't ya?"_

_Hinamori replied softly through her sniffles. "Yes." _

_Hirako nodded. "Then keep'em. They're not his lies, they're yer' truth; how you define the good in people. Keep those reasons; use them to move forward away from the bad they came from. It ain't easy, I know, but once ya get through it you'll come out better than before."_

_Hinamori looked at him, stunned by his words, as the tears began flowing again. She clenched her hands together and brought them to her face as a wave of sadness came at her. However, with it came something she hadn't felt in a long time; relief. She had no idea how much she needed to hear those words until Hirako told her. She had been blaming herself all this time for building herself upon a lie, that she had been inherently false as well. To hear that she wasn't provided her with something to hold on to again._

_It gave her hope._

_Hirako stood up from his squatting position. "And if ya ever feel bad about yerself, just know ya ain't the idiot who knew he was a bastard and still fell for his tricks." He pointed his thumb towards himself. "That's me, in case ya didn't catch that."_

_She couldn't help but giggle at his sudden jab at himself. It was a small chuckle but it felt almost foreign to her ears; she couldn't remember when she had last laughed after that had happened._

"_Well, whaddya know? You can laugh." He smiled and extended his hand to her. "Now then, there's a lot I'd like to catch up on before I come back officially. Will ya help me, 5__th__ Division Vice-Captain?"_

_Hinamori wiped off the last of her tears and looked up with a smile. "Yes."_

_She took the hand offered with her own and pushed herself into a standing position. Now with both of them standing up, Hirako shook the hand that was connected to his._

"_I'll be in your care from now on, Momo."_

"_Yes!" she replied with renewed vigor. She replied the handshake firmly both of them as both of them solidified their agreement before their hands separated._

"_Now then, I'm gettin' hungry. Why don't we find some food? Ya can tell me more about how the Division's been doin' while we eat."_

"_Of course!" she said with a smile. She was feeling better than she had ever felt in a long time._

"_Oh, one thing though." Hirako added._

_Hinamori wiped off the remaining tears. "What is it?" _

"_I ain't got a lotta money, so it's yer' treat."_

_She looked at him for a moment, confused, before uttering out. "Eh?!" _

"_Yeah, I just moved back here from the Human World, like, a few days ago so I mostly got human money. I got some for expenses but it ain't enough and those cheapskates at Central 46 wouldn't gimme more until the ceremony."_

"_Eh?!" Hinamori let out in shock. "T-That's too sudden! I don't know if I have enough -"_

_Hirako waved his hand in dismissal. "Don't worry. I ain't lookin' for anythin' fancy and I'll pay ya back when I get my paycheck."_

"_Pay what?"_

"_Oh don't mind it, it's a human term for pay. That's settled, then. C'mon, let's go. Yer' showin' me what's good around this place." Hirako said as he walked out of the office and out the building to the streets._

"_Hey, wait!" She made to call him, but stopped suddenly. They had never really settled on what she should call him. After debating in her head, she chased after him and called out. The words still felt foreign to her, but she just couldn't bring herself to address him any other way._

'"_Captain Hirako!"_

…

…_That's right.' _she thought to herself. That had been their first meeting and the first time she had called him 'Captain'. In the months that followed, she slowly became used to her new captain as they worked hard to return the morale of the 5th Division, a long and arduous process for many reasons, but in the end they had picked up the pieces and managed to make something new of it.

But perhaps the most important part of that meeting was that it had been a catalyst for her own wounds to heal. She slowly got used again to life in the Gotei 13 and her role as a vice-captain and little by little, the pain of betrayal dulled away. The scars may remain, but the wounds that caused them had healed and she would never let them stop her again.

All thanks to him. The captain she hadn't asked for, who was certainly not the perfect image of a captain that she had held once before. He wasn't organized, he didn't always follow the rules, and he can get on her bad side sometimes, but underneath it he had the wisdom and intelligence. He was in no doubt a captain.

Her captain.

"Whatcha smillin' about all of a sudden?"

Hinamori snapped out of her thoughts to see her captain looking at her with perplexed look. She realized then that she must've looked strange smiling randomly.

'Ah, it's nothing Captain." she reassured cheerfully. "I was just thinking you can be unreliable sometimes."

Hirako's confusion was compounded. "Is that somethin' to be smilin' so happily about?" He turned back to drawer and pulled out several files. "Well, whatever. I got the files so let's get to work, shall we?"

"Yes!" she replied affirmatively.

* * *

The work had gone faster than she had expected. Both of them finished the report in a little more than an hour, which had also gave them time to catch up to the other paperwork that Hirako had been neglecting. This had put Hinamori in a good mood, and she hummed as she walked beside her captain carrying various scrolls of paperwork that they had finished to the 1st Division barracks.

"Yer' awfully cheerful today." Hirako commented.

"Of course I am! We finished all the immediate work we had. Now we can focus on more important work like training the new Division members."

"Tchh! New members!" Hirako spat angrily.

His annoyance did not escape her. "Is something wrong, Captain?" she asked worriedly.

"I went through all of'em just now, and there's hardly any girls!" He yelled out. "Can ya believe that?! The 5th Division used to be babes' central in the day! Now it's just guys all over!"

"Captain Hirako, that's not a real problem." she reprimanded, disappointed that her concern was wasted. Of course she knew the truth, but she didn't have the heart to tell him that those girls joined because of Aizen or that her captain wasn't very popular among the female shinigamis.

"Of course it is! I checked back and the number of girls joinin' the 5th Division started goin' down after I came back! Somethin's goin' on here!" He looked at her with serious enquiry. "Hey, Momo. Yer' a girl. Do ya know what's happenin'?"

"I think you should be worrying about more important matters, Captain!" she replied crossly. "Like improving your work ethic or speaking more properly. Maybe then you would be more appealing in the eyes of younger recruits."

"What?" Hirako protested. "Man, that's too much of a hassle. This is just who I am."

"Yes, it is." Hinamori agreed. She took a few steps forward, putting her in front of Hirako and stopped in her tracks to look back to him.

"But I don't think that's a bad thing." she added with a smile.

She looked at her captain, who looked surprised at her words and was unable to reply. Even so, she was confident her gratitude was conveyed.

It was then that the bell rang across Seireitei, signaling the passing of another hour. "Oh! Come on, Captain! We'd better hurry or we'll be late!" She ran ahead a few steps before realizing her captain hadn't followed.

"Come on, Captain!"

"Yeah, yeah!" she heard her captain reply back but as she ran again she missed her captain smiling at her.

"I'm right behind ya."


	2. Legacy

**Characters: **Isane Kotetsu, Kiyone Kotetsu, Zaraki Kenpachi, Yasochika Iemura

**Summary: **Isane struggles to get accustomed to her new role as a captain.

* * *

**Legacy**

"Hoaahhhm!"

Kiyone's loud yawn immediately caught Isane's attention. "Still sleepy?"

"Yeah." Kiyone replied tiredly. "It's nothing though. I'm just a little tired this morning."

"Did you get enough rest?" Isane asked a little worried. "It could be bad if you work while you're tired."

"No, I'm fine." Kiyone assured. "Just give some time and I'll be ready for action!" She put a hand on her right bicep to emphasize her point.

"Well, that's good then." Isane looked away from her sister to the doors of the building they had been approaching. "We're here."

The atmosphere of the relief station immediately came to view as soon as they opened the door. It was early in the morning, but everyone was already on the move as always. Nurses and healers were walking around doing various errands. Some were inspecting and treating the injured, either giving them drugs or administering healing Kidō. Patients were sleeping, talking to the staff, or waiting for their turn. All of the sights were accompanied by the unmistakable sterile odor of medicine in the air.

Isane looked at the familiar sight and smiled. Not a lot of people could cope with the chaotic atmosphere of the 4th Division's relief center, but she loved it. To her, it was what set apart the 4th Division from the others. While she knew that all the Divisions are distinct from one another, the relief center always gave her a feeling of belonging and pride.

Her current Vice-Captain, however, didn't fully share her view.

"Ugh, it's so busy today." Kiyone said with disgust.

"Yes, it is." Isane agreed with spirit.

Kiyone eyed the gleam in her sister's eyes as she looked to the interior of the building. "I still don't get how you can be so fired up about all this."

"It takes time." Isane admitted. "But after a while the work becomes it's own reward."

"Well, I don't hate the work." Kiyone clarified. "But I don't think I can like as much as you do."

Isane couldn't help but be amused at her sister's confusion. The busy 4th Division was quite a change from her previous post at the 13th Division. The late captain Ukitake had always taken a more relaxed approach to things. She noted that Kiyone's slow adjustment may be in part to his passing, given how attached to him her sister had been.

Even so, she had to remind her sister of her current position. "Now, now." Isane cut in. "You're the 4th Division Vice-Captain. You can't go around saying things like that."

She sighed. "I know. Let's just go find Iemura and Yamada and relieve them for the day."

Isane nodded. "Be ready for anything, Vice-Captain Kiyone."

"Aye aye, Captain." Kiyone said with an exaggerated salute.

The two of them walked inside and looked around, inspecting the patients as they go. Most had light wounds or common illnesses, though some had heavy injuries. They paid special attention to these ones, instructing the healers more thoroughly on the proper care or giving their own helping hand. As they went along, Isane looked at the dutiful healers and nurses happily.

"The new guys are doing pretty good." Kiyone said as she observed a new member treat a particularly bad burn from a Kidō accident.

"Yes." Isane agreed. "I'm glad."

"Of course, it's all thanks to your excellent training methods, Captain." Kiyone replied with a wink.

Isane blushed at her sister's compliment and made a waving gesture with her hands. "You're exaggerating too much, Vice-Captain Kiyone. I just taught them a little about healing techniques the way they were taught to me."

"Oh, come on!" Kiyone pushed. "Not many people can teach healing Kidō as efficiently as you. I didn't even know anything about it until you taught me!"

"I appreciate the compliment, Vice-Captain Kiyone, but you're over exaggerating things."

"No, I'm not." Kiyone said again, looking a little annoyed. "I'm just saying it the way it is."

Isana laughed shyly. "I'm afraid you might be-"

"GEEZ, SIS! TAKE THE COMPLIMENT ALREADY!"

Kiyone's outburst earned both of them the looks of everyone in the ward. Immediately, Isane reacted and pulled Kiyone away until they reached a secluded area on the corners of the relief center.

"Kiyone! Why did you have to make a scene like that?!" Isana reprimanded in a whispering voice.

"It's your fault!" Kiyone hissed angrily. "I was trying to give you a compliment, but you just kept denying it!"

"Kiyone, I was just speaking the truth. I don't think I deserve those compliments. In the first place, you highly exaggerated them."

"No, I didn't!" Kiyone rebutted. "I genuinely think those things, and I'm not the only who thinks so! Why else would you have been appointed captain?!"

That last statement hit Isane hard. "Kiyone.."

"Geez sis! After everything you've done in these last few years you can't even give yourself a pat on the back? Have a little pride in yourself, why don't you? You're already a captain!"

"Don't call me sis when we're on duty." Isane reminded. "And don't raise your voice like that. You're disturbing the patients."

"Hmph." Kiyone grunted as she angrily shook off Isane's hand off her. "Fine, but until you start taking credit for yourself I'm not going to stop reminding you, Captain!"

"Okay, okay." Isane replied submissively. She just wanted the discussion to be over.

"Just remember this, sis. You're the captain of the 4th Division but if you don't start acting like it, people aren't going to respect both you and the Division. If you care about the Division, then start having some respect for yourself." Kiyone stormed off ahead. "Come on. We still haven't found Iemura and Yamada."

Isane watched her little sister walk off ahead of her angrily and sighed as she walked to her. How many times now have they had the same argument, each time never resolving the issue? Perhaps it was for as long as she had been a captain, which granted was about three months now; a mere blink in the average reign of captaincy within the Gotei 13. Even so, it seemed like time had passed without her knowing it. She thought back to that day when she had heard of her nomination.

…

"_Captain?! Me?!"_

_The words shocked them as soon as she heard them come out of Nanao's mouth. It felt unreal. Certainly there had been a mistake made._

_Nanao's reply, however, left no room for doubt. "Yes, it's true. It was decided in the last captain's meeting. You got a recommendation and the Captain-Commander agreed to give you a chance. You still have to take the Captain's Proficiency Test but as of now you are a candidate for the next captain of the Gotei 13."_

"_Me… a captain…" Isane sat down as she tried to process the information she had been given. _

_ word had held such a weight for her ever since she joined the Gotei 13. It had an aura behind it, a weight of authority and power_. _Isane had always looked up to those who carried the rank, no matter who it was. It signified just how powerful these individuals are to have earned the right to have it put next to their names, whether it was the dignified Captain Kuchiki, the genius Kurotsuchi, or the savage Captain Zaraki. _

_However, for her, Isane Kotetsu, to become a captain is something else entirely. She just couldn't wrap her head around it. She wasn't anything special; she didn't stand out the way the other captains did, and even though Nanao said it she still couldn't believe it._

_A slightly cold sensation touched her cheek. She looked up to see Nanao had pressed a glass of water against her. She took the drink and took a ship to calm herself down._

"_I understand this may feel too sudden, but don't worry. Just do the test to the best of your abilities."_

"_I still don't understand, Nanao-san." she replied as she took another sip. Why me?"_

_Nanao looked at her in surprise. "You're kidding right, Isane? Who else could lead the 4__th__ Division except you? Your work after the Quincy War speaks for itself."_

_The mention of the Quincy War made her shudder instinctively. Those had been difficult times for both her and Soul Society as a whole. They had survived from the brink of annihilation thanks to the efforts of the captains and Ichigo Kurosaki but, as is the case with all wars, the hardships don't end at victory. They had to heal and rebuild, and there was a lot of both to do; millions of lives had been lost and most of the survivors were injured with their homes destroyed._

_Most of Gotei 13 were focused on rebuilding, but the task of taking care of the refugees had befell on the 4__th__ Division. As the acting commander of the 4__th__ Division, she had rallied what remained of her Division and set off to treat the wounded. Others lent their help where they could by volunteering their strength, time or in the case of those like Momo and Kira, their healing skills. However, the bulk of the responsibility had fallen to her, whether it was healing the injured and dying, providing shelter for the survivors or the more morbid task of tallying the dead. She saw countless death and tragedy during that time, some that still haunted her dreams, all of which she used to fuel herself forward and do her best._

_Even so, she hadn't seen this as something special and she relayed that to Nanao. "That wasn't anything special." she insisted. "I just did my duty as the Vice-Captain of the 4__th__ Division."_

_Nanao sighed and smiled at her. "Don't sell yourself short, Isane-san. Your actions helped us heal from the greatest adversity we've ever faced. That isn't something to dismiss so easily. Not many people can handle themselves so well in the face of such a stressful situation, you handled it you're your leadership and acted above and beyond your duty at a time when we had needed it the most. You even had the time to unlock your Bankai amidst all of that. If anyone deserves a chance at this, it's you."_

"_Nanao-san…" she trailed off. "I-I don't know what to say."_

_Nanao put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't say anything. This opportunity has been given to you, so you shouldn't throw it away so easily. There's nothing for you to lose. Just prepare for the test as best as you can."_

_Isane took in what she said. Nanao had a point; if she succeeded, it would benefit her and if it didn't, she wouldn't have lost anything significant. Still, it was a nerve-wracking thought._

"_O-Okay." Isane replied hesitantly. "I will."_

_Nanao smiled, satisfied at the answer. "Good. I'll let the Captain-Commander know. You'll be notified of the date of your test when it has been fixed. Until then, you have time to prepare." _

_Having had her say, Nanao stood up and made to exit the room they were in; the 4__th__ Division Captain's office. Isane looked around the room, thinking about how this room could be her office. The thought excited and scared her. She, of all people, had been recommended as a captain._

_The thought brought up another question, and she called out to Nanao._

"_Um, Nanao-san?"_

_Nanao stopped and turned back. "Yes, what is it?"_

"_About my recommendation…" Isane began. "Who was it that recommended me?"_

"_I'm afraid I can't disclose that information. The discussions in the captains' meetings are confidential to you despite your Vice-Captain status since they involve you." _

"_Oh, right. Sorry."_

"_It's alright. Rest assured, the Captain-Commander himself has agreed to this. You don't have to worry." Nanao reassured before exiting the room, leaving Isane to ponder the news she had been given again._

"_Me…a captain…"_

…

That had been the start of her rise to captaincy. Afterwards, she had taken the test and to her surprise managed to pass with favorable results. Three months later here she was: Isane Kotetsu, Captain of the 4th Division. The title carried so much with it and yet, she hadn't quite gotten used to it even after 3 months. It seemed too big for her, like wearing shoes above her size; even if it was hers, she couldn't quite walk in them. There was only one person who could fit the role she had right now.

'_Captain Unohana.'_

To Isane, no one exemplified the word 'captain' better than her deceased captain. Unohana was her mold of what a captain should be. She was sophisticated, yet soft-spoken. She carried authority, but treated people with care. She was friendly, but can intimidate at the drop of a moment should it be necessary.

Of course, she knew that aggression came more naturally to her than it would outwardly seem. Her captain had been Yachiru Unohana, one of the greatest the Gotei 13 had seen, and an infamous swordswoman in the violent early days of it's inception. Hundreds of thousands if not more had fallen under her blade as she cut through Soul Society searching for opponents to fight. It was something Unohana had told her after she was promoted to Vice-Captain. Back then, it had shocked her that her gentle captain had also been one of the most infamous murderers in Soul Society history. It wasn't like she had abandoned her past either; there were times where she could see the glint in her captain's eyes and see the turmoil behind it. In those moments, she knew that Retsu Unohana and Yachiru Unohana was the same person.

However, not even that had changed her perception of Unohana. Quite the opposite, it had elevated it to know that someone who had such bloodlust could exercise restraint and lead in a Division completely opposite to her nature for centuries. It added another layer to her admiration. Captain Unohana had been the perfect captain, and Isane had always strived to follow her example for as long as she knew.

And now, here she was carrying the title that once belonged to her mentor. She should've been happy about it, but she wasn't because she felt like she hadn't earned it. She wasn't anything like Unohana in every aspect; her healing skills were lacking compared to Unohana, her swordsmanship definitely didn't come near her former captain's, and she couldn't carry herself with the dignity and authority that Unohana did.

The thought that she was undeserving of her position had continued to fester in the back of her head fueled by her insecurities, She had managed it so far by immersing herself in her duties, which wasn't difficult; she was already familiar with most of them having managed the 4th Division by herself for a while. However, she knew that it wasn't all that being a captain entailed; there would be times when she needed to exert her authority as a captain and that was what she feared. She had managed to get by so far without any incidents, but Isane knew that sooner or later she would have to do it herself.

The thought of that hung over her every time she did her duties, even now as she and Kiyone continued their rounds, all the while looking for Yamada and Iemura. They finally found the latter when they reached the third floor, where he was looking over to a group of healers that were currently attending to four injured shinigamis.

"Come on, hurry up already with the healing. I wanna go back to fightin'!" said one of the bedridden shinigami.

"Yeah!" Another followed up. "You 4th Division pansies better not mess me up or anythin'."

Even from a faraway glance, Isane could tell from their gruff manner of speaking and attitude towards the 4th Division that the injured were a part of the 11th Division. This also didn't escape Kiyone.

"Great! It's the 11th Division! I hate those punks!"

"Not so loud." Isane reminded.

"Tchh!" Kiyone spat. "They're a bunch of wild dogs, just like their captain. I bet he hates us and they get it from him!"

"Vice-Captain Kiyone, you shouldn't speak badly of your superiors."

"You're defending him?" Kiyone replied in disgust.

Isane shrugged. "Captain Zaraki doesn't really keep a close watch on his men or their behaviors. I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't even aware that they're here." Her sister's prejudice was understandable, considering the 4th and 11th Division's bad history with each other. She herself had once held similar prejudices against Zaraki Kenpachi until Unohana told her how negligent he was with his Division, but it was only after her promotion that she saw how neglectful Zaraki was up close; if it wasn't about fighting, he probably didn't care much for it. Their attitude had cooled down for some time after the war since there was the more pressing matter of rebuilding Soul Society to attend to but now that the Gotei 13 had somewhat got back up on it's feet their attitude had been starting to come back, especially amongst the newer members.

"Oh, so he doesn't hate us; he's just so lazy he's indifferent to us." Kiyone replied with sarcastic relief.

"That's enough, Vice-Captain. Let's relieve Iemura from his duties."

"Yeah, okay. Poor guy looks like he's about to collapse. Hey, Iemura!"

Iemura turned towards the voice and saw the both of them. Immediately, he made a bow. "Captain Isane! Vice-Captain Kiyone!"

"At ease, Iemura-san." Isane replied, prompting the man to stand up. Now that she was close, it was clearly visible how stretched out he was. His body was swaying slightly as he stood and his sunken eyes were still visible even behind his sunglasses. "We came to relieve you and Yamada-san." The mention of the latter brought to light his absence. "Where is Yamada-san?"

"He collapsed just an hour ago." Iemura shook his head. "He's resting now in an unoccupied room. Poor guy just couldn't keep up. Can't say I blame him; it's been a real tough shift. I'm feeling a little stretched out myself."

"What's up with them?" Kiyone asked, pointing towards the 11th Division members.

"Oh, that. Those guys were on the hunt for a Hollow that was spotted near a village a few days ago. They found it, but it turned out to be stronger than they expected. No deaths fortunately, but some of them have really serious injuries. The 5th relief team dropped them by just now, so I thought I'd treat them first before heading back."

"How are they?" Isane asked. "Do we have to send any to the 12th Division for regenerative treatment?"

"I don't think that will be necessary." Iemura answered. "We should be able to give them the proper treatment here. The problem is they're being uncooperative as usual. I've already notified their Division, so someone will hopefully be coming to check on them. In the meantime, I just have to get them to cooperate."

"That's okay, Iemura-san. We'll take care of it for you."

"It's okay, Captain. I just have to finish this one quick then-"

"Iemura-san." Isane cut off. "I understand how you feel, but this is not up for debate. Your health is also important and I need you and Yamada-san to stay healthy for the sake of the Division. Vice-Captain Kiyone and I will take care of this, so please rest. That's an order."

"Huh." Iemura smiled. "Well, then it would be rude of me to disobey. I'll go home now. Thank you, Captain Isane."

"Yes." Isane replied with a smile.

"Leave everything to us!" Kiyone added enthusiastically.

"I'll take my leave, then." Iemura nodded and headed straight down to exit the relief center, leaving Isane and Kiyone in charge for the day. Isane looked back at him, a little relieved that he was okay.

"See, I knew you can do it when you want to, sis." Kiyone spoke suddenly.

"Eh?" Isane uttered, not knowing what she was talking about.

"What you did just now!" Kiyone explained. "You were so cool telling him to rest even though he kept on insisting."

"Ah, that's just normal." Isane dismissed. "He was clearly on the verge of illness and I didn't want anything to happen to him, so I told him to rest because it was the best thing for him to do."

"Hmmm…" Kiyone pondered. "Well, whatever it is you need to show more of it! They'll be turning their heads to Captain Isane in no time!"

"Shh! Alright, Kiyone." Isane whispered. "Keep your voice down. Let's go check on the 11th Division members."

"Yeah, okay. I can't promise anything though with these guys." Kiyone replied sullenly. The frown on her face told Isane that she wasn't looking forward to interacting with them. Truth be told, neither was she. The thought that she might have to step down should things get out of control nagged her.

'_I won't let it come to that.' _she resolved. _'I'll settle the situation peacefully.'_

With that in mind, she and Kiyone approached the series of beds housing the 11th Division members. Isane took a glance from left to right and made a surface inspection. The first guy appeared to have suffered head trauma as his head was bandaged until it covered his left eye. The bandages themselves were stained red, so the attack had opened a wound. The second one had a small bandaged wound on his foot, but appeared to have suffered nothing serious other than a couple of bruises. The third guy also had relatively small injuries, with only small cuts on his face and what appeared to be a swollen wrist.

It was when she set her sights on the last guy to the right that she found the most injured of them all. He had his robes removed, exposing his bandaged chest. His right arm was held on by a sling, indicating it was broken. The leg had also been heavily injured, with three gash marks cutting deep into the flesh deep enough to reveal bone. His left cheek had also been bruised and he had blood on his lips from the open wounds where some of his teeth used to be, indicating he had taken a massive blow to the head.

Unfortunately, it was this guy that seemed to be making the biggest fuss as he yelled angrily at the nurses as they surrounded him with medical equipment on their hand.

"Get away from me! I'm fine!"

"Please, sir." one of the nurses asked. "You have serious injuries that could get worse if left untreated."

"Pagh!" he spat. "What do you know about injuries. You 4th Division types probably haven't seen a battlefield before. These wounds are nothing!" The injured man rose from his bed to make a point, only to fall back as he put his weight on his injured leg. The nurses reflexively approached him to help.

"Get off me!" he yelled out, batting the hands of one of the nurses.

The urging conflict was becoming out of hand, so Isane knew she had to focus on calming down this man first. She and Kiyone moved towards his bed.

"Excuse me." Isane greeted, getting the attention of the nurses and the injured man. The nurses quickly moved away and faced her.

"Good morning, Captain Isane."

"Stand down." Isane compelled. "Would you please tell me what the problem is here?"

'Um…" the nurse answered timidly. "This gentleman was unconscious just now. We patched up his arm and body and were in the middle of treating his leg, but as soon as he woke up he started to get angry and demanded to be released immediately even though his treatment wasn't complete."

"Hey!"

The yell took Isane's attention away from the nurse to the injured man in question.

"So you're the one in charge around here!" the injured man remarked. "I demand to be let out of this hellhole immediately!"

"Hey!" Kiyone yelled out. "You're talking to the Captain of the 4th Division! Show some respect!"

"Shut up! I'm Matsu Honoshibi, 9th seat of the 11th Division! The only captain I answer to is Captain Zaraki!"

"Why you-" Kiyone began to move forward, but a hand stopped her from going ahead.

"That's enough, Vice-Captain Kiyone." Isane prompted. She turned her attention to Matsu. Judging from the vocal nature of the guy and the fact that other three were silent, she surmised that he was their leader. "Honoshibi-san, I'm sure you're eager to go back to your Division, but we can't let you leave without treating your injuries."

"Tchh! This's just a scratch!" Matsu insisted, despite his wound still bleeding. "Captain Zaraki can keep fighting with worse injuries! I can still fight!"

"Yeah!" one of the other member butted in. "Let us out of here immediately!" The comment triggered a chain reaction as the other two voiced their complaints again.

The joining of the other three alarmed Isane. She knew how enabling the 11th Division members can be when it came to ganging up on the 4th Division. Taking a breath to calm herself, she spoke again.

"I understand, but your injuries are far too severe and could cause further problems if we leave it untreated."

"Shut up!" Matsu yelled. "I don't need some pansy captain-wannabe telling me what to do with my body. These wounds are nothin', you hear me?!"

Isane swallowed "I-I-". His words stung her more than he knew. She did feel like someone playing the role of captain rather than a real one. She tried to speak but the words became stuck in her throat.

Kiyone, however, didn't have that problem. "You ungrateful punks! If it wasn't for us, you'd all be dead or inside a Hollow's stomach by now."

"Shut up!" Matsu yelled back. "That thing got lucky! Let us out of here and we'll kill it for good."

"Maybe I'll let you! Just to see it beat you a second time!"

"Why you- what do you know about fighting! I bet I can take you on, little girl!"

"Everyone, please calm down-" Isane began, but her voice was drowned out as Kiyone and the 11th Division members continued to exchange insults. The nurses had stepped back, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.

"Did that Hollow hit you too hard in the head?! You're a 9th seat officer, I'm a Vice-Captain!"

"So what? No 11th Division man's gonna be taken out by a 4th Division member, whoever it is!"

Isane's head began to spin. The moment she had long feared had come; the situation had gone out of control. She had to somehow end the conflict, but it had gone past the point of peaceful resolution. Her head raced through a thousand thoughts a second as the situation continued to escalate until a question appeared to her.

'_Captain Unohana, what do I do?'_

In the confusion, she had sought out her captain. Isane thought back to the times when she was a Vice-Captain. If it were Unohana, she would silence them easily with a simple stare or a few words. It was a talent that Isane had always admired from her.

But Isane couldn't do that. She didn't have the confidence or the aggressive nature of her mentor to draw from. She had always been a peaceful person, choosing the option of least confrontation whenever possible. It was what made her at home in the 4th Division, where she could devote herself to healing others. It was her calling to help others in need, but now as she stood unable to do anything amongst her division she was the one who felt helpless. She watched again as her sister and the injured patients bickered on. Matsu, the improvised leader of the bunch, had moved forward to the conflict but remained bedridden as his leg continued to bleed.

It was then as she saw the blood dripping from the open wound to the bed sheets and the floor. At that moment, something within her snapped. It was almost instinctual; no thought entered her mind. All she felt was her frustration being let out as she opened her mouth.

"ENOUGH!"

She yelled out to the top of her lungs. It wasn't as loud as she had expected, since she always had a soft-speaking voice, but her reiatsu picked up where her voice lacked as she exerted it to Kiyone and the four 11th Division members. The effect was immediate; the five of them immediately stopped their shouting from the pressure exerted on them.

Having accomplished her mission of silencing the argument, Isane closed her eyes, took a deep breath and decreased her reiatsu output slowly until it reached normal levels again. She opened her eyes to her sister and the four patients, looking at her in awe and fear.

She turned her attention to Kiyone first. "Vice-Captain Kiyone, please refrain from agitating the patients. I'll talk to them."

Kiyone nodded slowly and took a step back. Isane noted the look of fear on her sister's eyes and regretted having to do that to her, but there had been no other choice. She would apologize later; right now she had to deal with her patients. She looked at Matsu again, who recoiled slightly as their eyes connected, and to the rest of them as well.

"Everyone, I understand your eagerness to leave immediately but we have a job to do and that is to ensure the well-being of all our patients. Therefore, we cannot let you leave until the treatment has finished. Please understand."

"O-Of course." said the first one.

"Y-Yeah, sure." The second followed.

"We'll take a rest, yeah." The third joined.

Isane smiled at them but turned to Matsu, who still said nothing. One look in his eyes told her that he still had some resistance in him.

"W-Was that supposed to scare me? I told you already; I don't need your help!"

"I have no intention of scaring you, Honoshibi-san. I only want to help you." Isane calmly replied.

"I don't need your stinking help! Us 11th Division guys are tough, like our Captain Zaraki! He could fight even when-"

"I have seen Captain Zaraki fight with my own eyes before. I have also personally healed him as well." Isane cut off. "While it's true that he can sustain heavy injuries and keep fighting, he always seeks to heal them as soon as he has the chance. The reason Captain Zaraki can grow stronger is because he understands the damage an injury can pose to his ability to fight, so he takes care of his injuries to keep fighting."

Isane took a glance at the injured leg. "But leaving injuries untreated will only impede your fighting ability. Those slash wounds will have serious consequences if left untreated. You've already lost a lot of blood because the wounds were left open and you kept moving about. If it goes untreated further, you could suffer more blood loss or your wounds could become infected. In both cases, you could very well die. The only other option if that happens is to remove your leg, which will impede your fighting ability forever. So if you aren't willing to listen to us, then think about your own well-being, Honishibi-san."

Matsu's eyes began to lose it's intensity. Isane could sense that she was getting through to him and at least was getting him to think more rationally. However, Matsu still resisted her even when confronted with logic.

"Was that supposed to scare me? I don't believe your lies."

"I never lie to you, Honoshibi-san, or to any of my patients for that matter." She turned to face all four of them. "The 4th Division's duty is to offer support to the other Divisions so that they can properly do their jobs. You may not have a high opinion of us, but we will take care of you nonetheless. It's our duty, our mission." Isane gave them a smile. "I'm here to help you."

The tension in the air slowly faded away as their bodies started to relax. Isane sighed in relief and realized then that her own body had been tense as well. With her relief came a feeling of accomplishment; she had been faced with what she had feared for so long but she had gotten through it. The feeling of the shackles of her built-up fear finally coming off was liberating. She looked at the three of them who was now looking at her without any hostility, though she noted the red on their cheeks and made a note to check for diseases as well. However, Matsu hadn't quite let go of his hostility as if it meant that he'd given up.

Suddenly, Matsu's eyes suddenly lit up again and looked past her to something behind her.

"Captain Zaraki!" he yelled out.

Not a moment after he said that, a shadow immediately covered her. Isane recognized the beastly silhouette immediately and turned back. The figure of Zaraki Kenpachi immediately came to view, towering over her with his humongous body. He stood an arm's length away from her, looking at her with his one uncovered eye.

"Yo, Isane." he greeted with his gruff voice.

"G-Good morning, Captain Zaraki." she greeted back nervously. To say that she had been shocked was an understatement; she had not sensed him at all until he was already upon her. After his battle with Unohana that his control over his reiatsu had improved drastically but she wondered if that was a good thing. Personally, she preferred it when she could always sense when he's near rather than when she couldn't.

She kept that thought to herself and tried to speak in a casual way to hide her shock. "Is there something you need, Captain Zaraki?"

"Ikkaku told me that some of my guys were here. I'm here to see 'em."

"Oh, of course." Isane gestured to the bedridden four. "They're here. We're still treating their wounds right now."

"Thanks." Zaraki replied, his expression unchanging. He turned towards the beds and approached. Both her and Kiyone moved out of his way reflexively. The nurses were fixed were they stood, too afraid to move. On the other hand, the four bedridden shinigamis were ecstatic at the presence of their captain.

"Captain!" two of them yelled in unison.

"You came for us!" said another.

"Captain Zaraki!" Matsu cried out in adoration. "Are you here to take us back?!" he turned towards Isane and Kiyone. "These 4th Division weaklings have been making a big hassle out of everything! I told them I didn't need their help." He looked up again at his captain. "Captain, thank God you're here. Now we can show them-"

It happened so fast that none of them could even see it. In a quick move, Zaraki's left hand moved towards Matsu and retracted it back with such speed that no one present could perceive it; even Isane could only discern one big blur. The only indication that something had happened was a snapping sound followed by Matsu being flung back to the head of the bed.

"Shut up."

"Yarrghh!" Matsu clutched his face as blood began to pour out of it. What he said next and the pained way he spoke immediately told Isane what part of him Zaraki had injured. "My node!"

"What the hell ya cryin' about? I just gave ya a little flick on the nose." Zaraki walked up to the head of the bed and grabbed the injured shinigami by the throat.

"Now, listen here. I only came cuz I heard ya guys fought a strong Hollow and I wanna fight somethin' warm up my muscles. Instead, I find my men complainin' like a bunch of babies!"

"B-Bud, Capdain-" Matsu replied, still clutching his broken nose.

"SHUT UP!" Zaraki yelled. "Ya know why ya got injured? Cuz' you were weak. Don't go blamin' someone else for it. If ya wanna get stronger, heal up then fight again!"

Zaraki shoved him back to the bed with enough force to shake it. "I should just tear ya apart limb from limb, but I don't want them to clean your guts off the floor. Next time I hear you causin' trouble for these guys again, I'll kill ya on the spot. Ya got that?!"

"Y-Yes!" Matsu replied in a panic. He crawled away from Zaraki, tears of pain and fear running down his face.

"That goes for the rest of ya maggots as well! Ya hear?!"

"YES!" the other three replied in a panic.

Zaraki spat and turned his attention to all of them. "Now, which of ya's gonna tell me where that Hollow is?"

…

"Ya don't have to escort me out. I can do it myself." Zaraki pointed out.

"It's okay." Isane assured. "It's only polite that I do so. Vice-Captain Kiyone can handle the work for a while."

Zaraki gave a small grunt in reply. "Suit yerself."

The two of them walked the rest of the way in silence as they descended the floors and eventually reached the exit. Zaraki walked a few steps in front and turned back to her.

"Well, I'm goin' off now."

Isane nodded and bowed, "Thank you for coming, Captain Zaraki." Isane said. "And for your help." she added, although truth be told she thought he didn't have to use such excessive force.

"Don't mention it." Zaraki replied. " Besides, ya already got most of the work done before I got there."

Isane was surprised at the words. "You saw?"

"Of course I did." he smiled a beastly grin at her. "I sensed yer' reiatsu goin' off so I thought somethin' was wrong, but when I came I saw ya were scoldin' my men."

The thought of Zaraki sneaking around watching her wasn't a pleasant one, especially catching her reproaching his men. "I'm sorry about that." she apologized and bowed slightly.

Zaraki looked at her confused. "Wha'? What're ya apologizin' for? They were bein' a nuisance so ya scolded them. Nothin' wrong with that. Us captains gotta rough up our underlings from time to time. It keeps 'em on their toes."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind." She didn't really feel like his advice was applicable in the 4th Division, but she appreciated his sentiment nonetheless. But more importantly, hearing him say that she was a fellow captain made her feel good.

"Anyways, ya don't gotta worry about my guys anymore. I'll tell 'em all to mind their manners in here when I get back. If they give ya anymore problems, ya tell me. I'll set 'em straight."

It took Isane a moment to wrap her head around what he had just said. Zaraki Kenpachi of all people was going to discipline his men. Not only that, but he was going to tell them to behave themselves with the 4th Division. It was something that she had wanted ever since she joined the 4th Division and now it was something that could happen. The relief she felt was impalpable.

"That would be great! Thank you, Captain Zaraki!" she yelled out in excitement before realizing that she had made an outburst. "I mean, that would be greatly appreciated."

Zaraki grinned. "Don't mention it, and just call me Zaraki."

"Oh, but please refrain from giving them harsh punishment. I would rather that they don't get injured."

He laughed at the reply. "What's with that? Yer' too soft!" Zaraki looked up at the building that was the relief center smiled. "But it suits ya, I guess. Yer' doin' a fine work here, Isane."

The compliment was unexpected, but all the same pleasant. "Thank you, Captain Zaraki."

"Yep." he nodded, not hearing what she had said. "I knew recommendin' ya was the right thing to do."

The statement hit her hard. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, we were talkin' about puttin' new captains in the empty Divisions. I told 'em you'd be good for the 4th Division, and I was right." Zaraki explained nonchalantly, unaware of just how much he'd shocked her.

"You were the one… who recommended me?" She had never really thought about her recommendation after Nanao dropped the news on her, choosing instead to focus on the test at the time. Even so, she never would have guessed that of all the captains, it was Zaraki Kenpachi who had recommended her.

"Yeah." Zaraki answered casually.

"Why?" Isane asked.

He stood silent for a moment with a serious expression before replying. "Ya did good work after the war, just like she used to."

It was a simple statement, spoken in a simplistic, gruff manner, but it told her everything. She saw into his eye and for a moment, the beast within them was gone. Instead, there was sadness within it, one she had seen on her own eyes too many times. The both of them stood still as they held the same person in their minds in a brief moment that seemed to stretch on forever. And then, Zaraki broke the stasis and turned back from her and the relief center.

"You and I, we're the ones she left behind. We're her legacy, so we gotta carry on for her, ya hear?"

"Yes." Isane replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. Then she smiled at him. "I know."

"Hmph." Zaraki grunted in response. "Good then." He turned his head towards her, revealing a beastly grin that was more human than it looked. "I'll see ya around, Captain Isane."

"Yes, Captain Zaraki."

With that, he turned back and walked away. Isane watched as he exited the compound and walk ahead until he disappeared from her view, off to find his next battle.

'_We're her legacy, so we gotta carry on for her, ya hear?' _the voice echoed again in her head.

"Yes, I will."

"Captain Isane!" a voice called from behind her. "We need your help!"

"Oh, right!" Isane turned back to see a nurse who had been calling her. She had her own battles to fight.

"I'm coming."


End file.
